


A Good Christmas

by TiltAndWhirl



Series: Fantastic Drabbles & Where To Find Them... [4]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Finally getting together, First Kiss, Impromptu Christmas Party, Mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2020-06-24 07:06:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19718665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiltAndWhirl/pseuds/TiltAndWhirl
Summary: Christmas drabble.





	1. Chapter 1

\- **Elizabeth Hackney-Selwyn** -

"Don't you dare, Selwyn!"

"Lizzy, you can't - "

"Elizabeth Grace Hackey-Selwyn, if you don't move away from that portkey right now..."

I smiled at the assembled group of Selwyns, Hackneys, a Lestrange, a Scamander, and the various other hangers on that appeared at my family gatherings, and put my hand on the shaking portkey: "Bye everyone! Have a Merry Christmas, I'll see you at New Years!"

There was the sound of my family shouting at me even as the world went black and all of a sudden I was standing in an all too familiar building in New York city...with three familiar faces watching in various in various states of amusement.

"Hello, Newt. Theseus sends his love."

"Did he?" Newt raised an eyebrow, although his eyes were laughing and his lips were quirked up at the corners.

"I assume he did." I shrugged: "Even if he didn't know where I was going when I used the portkey."

"A portkey," interrupted a far more stern voice than Newt's, coming from the Head of Magical Law Enforcement who was watching me with a disapproving expression even as he bit the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from laughing: "That was given to you in case of emergencies only."

"Are family Christmases not emergencies?"

"Was someone bleeding out?" Auror Goldstein asked imperiously.

"Well, not when I left."

That was when Graves lost his battle with his own amusement.

Another member of an old family that had a 'certain way of doing things', I knew he'd understand that large family gatherings frankly unbearable. And considering that the Selwyns and Hackneys were, at our best, petty criminals and, at worst, violent sociopaths, I knew when we found things unbearable it usually ended in a drunken fistfight or a duel - depending on who was involved. Something that anyone who knew anything about my family could probably work out with even the most basic intelligence. And, failing that, I was sure Newt would have at least hinted about it to Goldstein, as they were so close now.

_Again, I need to have words with that boy_.

So, Graves laughed, and Goldstein stared at him in shock before turning to Newt only to find him laughing too: "It can't be that bad!"

Newt shook his head: "Last year Theseus lost his two front teeth at Christmas dinner with her family. Just because he suggested that the two sets of duelling Witches move into another room."

I shook my head: "That was absolutely and accident...and he got them back in in less than an hour, anyway."

Graves, who had just stopped laughing, started laughing again: and I could already see the jokes he was trying to come up with before he next saw his old friend. Not that I blamed him; we'd all done the same at dinner last year. That was what happened when people came between my aunts - the same thing as what happened when you came between me and my sisters or female cousins: they got hurt. It was just something that shouldn't be even attempted. The fact that Theseus, who had been around the family for a few years now, didn't know better was purely his own fault - something I was sure Graves was also going to mock him for.

Despite us formerly being on opposite sides of the law - _by my own admission and to my aunts' great shame, I had toned my criminal activity down a lot since the Grindelwald fiasco_ \- I knew Graves understood how my family worked. Not just because both our families were old families: but because both of us were products of our families. I was a criminal who put very little effort into anything except jewel heists and my looks: and Graves was an up-tight wizard with a compulsion to do 'the right thing'. America was lucky his view of the right thing coincided with the law, or else he'd definitely be some kind of vigilante. Or, if he'd been raised by my lot, one of the enforcers the Wizarding underworld had ever seen - which I had meant as a compliment when I'd told him, even if he had taken it more as a joke.

More's the pity.

But for all his insistence on upholding the laws, I couldn't fault Graves on his manners. It was so endearing when he acted like a gentleman: offering me his arm to lead me out of the room MACUSA had designated for portkey arrivals. His features might be a little rough-hewn, and no tailored clothing was going to hide the fact Graves was still built like a fighter, but that didn't stop me from accepting his offer of assistance and allow myself to be directed to the Auror department, since Aurors were the only people in the Woolworth Building working today.

Auror Johnston was the first to see me: her dark hair in wild curls rather than her usual pomade-slick waves: "Hey! It's our favourite jewel thief!"

"Scamander's Niffler?" exclaimed Auror Costello, fist clenched to protect his wedding from from being stolen off of his own finger - again: "Where?"

Goldstein rolled her eyes: "Not the Niffler. Selwyn."

"Selwyn!" Johnston and McGilliguddy, the only other female Aurors at the table, cheered - the pair of them usually happy to see me. Mostly because if I was here, I wasn't out causing trouble: "How's are second favourite Brit?"

I saw the glint in McGilliguddy's eyes just in time, stepping deeper into the room and to my right even as I smirked: "Still too smart for you two, it seems."

The table of Aurors booed good-naturedly, disappointed that their latest plot to get their boss and I together hadn't worked; since both Graves and I had dodged the mistletoe they had charmed to hover towards us above our line of sight.

Newt and Goldstein, however, had not been so quick to react, and were now staring at the mistletoe floating above their heads. And if there was two people the Auror department wanted to get together more than Graves and I...it was Newt Scamander and Tina Goldstein. Which was why every person at the table was watching the pair, chanting _'kiss, kiss, kiss'_ while Newt stared at the floor and Goldstein blushed.

And then Newt looked up and leaned forward, kissing Auror Goldstein just as she turned to apologise for her fellow Aurors' behaviour...and she didn't pull away. No, if anything, she leant into the kiss even more while the rest of the room stared at her and Newt in shock. And in my case, horror. Newt...and a cop. A _cop_. And they were still kissing! The pair of them were showing no signs of even knowing where they were: let alone that they were being watched. Even when Costello cleared his throat awkwardly, they didn't stop. It was like watching a train wreck...and they weren't showing any signs of stopping!

I'd had enough.

Sharing a look with Graves, he nodded at me, before we both took a step towards the pair that were still attached to each other at the mouth. A second later, I grabbed Auror Goldstein around the waist and lifted her off her feet so I could pull her back as Graves gently pulled Newt back by his hold on Newt's shoulders.

"And that's quite enough of that." I announced, dropping Goldstein back on her feet and getting between her and Newt for good measure: "No more mauling the magizoologist."

"Yeah, Goldstein, people are tyna eat!" O'Brien taunted: "And, lovely Elizabeth, may I compliment you on your strength? We were all wondering how you managed to pull off that bank heist in Greenwich, but it makes so much sense now."

Johnston laughed: "He means he respects your strength."

"And those stunning calf muscles..." O'Brien added, eyeing my legs that were - for onced - shown off by the emerald green dress I was wearing.

"Thank you, O'Brien." I smiled at the Auror, before turning to Graves: "You're fine with me strangling him, aren't you?"

"Not in the office, Selwyn. Too much paperwork."


	2. Chapter 2

\- **Elizabeth Hackney-Selwyn** -

Newt and Goldstein slipped away quietly some time after the impromptu Christmas dinner the New York Auror division had put together, but before the glasses of whiskey were poured for those of us who had already been out on a call, or weren't actually Aurors (although that was just me). No-one begrudged them sneaking away - _even if they did it so badly_ \- as it was clear to everyone that the two of them had been in love since Newt had single-handedly saved America from Grindelwald. I think everyone was collectively happy that the two of them had finally realised that they both felt the same way.

Would that stop me from telling Theseus?

Absolutely not.

But I'd leave off telling him for a few days; because Newt was possibly my favourite member of my extended family, and because Goldstein was alright - for an Auror, anyway. 

"Thinking about how're you're going to rat out Newt and Auror Goldstein to Theseus?"

I turned to see Graves standing next to me with a cup of coffee - although I didn't miss the slightly wistful look he was firecting at my whiskey - and smirking faintly: "But of course. What else would you have me do?"

"Not doom Goldstein to a painful end by one of the most dangerous wizards known to man?"

I thought about it, and then shrugged: "I'll give her a week's head-start. So she has a chance to run."

Graves laughed and took another sip of his coffee, settling back to lean against the wall outside his office with me. I was glad to see him taking part in all of it, albeit on the sidelines, rather than being shut up in his office on his own. Even if it was just to mock the godawful Christmas music, or his Aurors' even _more_ godawful singing, or the tinsel that seemed to be multiplying with each new glass of whiskey being poured.

I couldn't wait for them to have to clear this all up in a few days. Especially when the tinsel seemed to develop a life of it's own and started slithering around the bullpen: much to Graves' horror. But all it took was a quiet nudge to look at where the tinsel was slithering - towards the lifts - for him to start sniggering with me.

It seemed MACUSA was going to have some new friends for the Memo Mice. And President Picquery was going to have a bit of a headache, something I took vindictive pleasure in. Especially since she hadn't noticed that her _Head of Magical Security_ had been replaced by _the world's most dangerous madman_. From what little Graves had told me about his captivity, things that I was sure were nothing even close to the worst of his experiences, he had more than suffered because of her inattention, and I couldn't forgive her for that. Not when she claimed that Graves was one of her oldest and closest friends. Around my way, that shit would've categorised her as a traitor rather than a friend, but since Graves wouldn't let me smite her while she was speaking on her fancy podium, I would have to settle for allowing other people to cause her misery and enjoying that instead.

Personally, I thought I was being very mature about the whole thing.

Graves told me that I was giving him a headache whenever I brought it up - but since he was always hiding a smile when he said it, I didn't take him too seriously. It made me happy to see him smile.

Especially when it was directed at me: "I didn't think I'd get to see you until after New Year's, you know...but I'm glad that I found you downstairs."

Shrugging, I smiled back him: "Hackney-Selwyn Christmases are great...and we do those on the twenty-third. Selwyn Christmases that the Hackneys are grudgingly invited too...well, they can get a little tense."

"Family Christmases can be...trying." Graves agreed: "No matter how well intentioned your family is."

"And my family are very rarely well intentioned." I snorted: "Honestly, I'd much rather be here."

_With you._

Sad, when a girl couldn't enjoy spending time with her family as much as she could with a cop, and a senior cop at that, but it was true. I just didn't want to dwell on that right now. In fact, I'd rather think about anything else.

Even O'Brien crossing the room to possibly compliment my calves again was seeming like a better line of thought right now, and that was saying something. 

Although I wasn't exactly sorry when I saw O'Brien diverted by Graves' glare.

I smiled and leant back further against the wall, content to quietly enjoy the rest of my evening without being being given any weird compliments or being attacked by any sentient tinsel. I took another sip from my whiskey...and then became aware that all of a sudden the whole room was staring at me. Me...and Graves...and the space above our heads.

_They wouldn't..._

_...They would._

Looking up - even if I already had a sinking feeling about what I would see - I groaned. Because _of course_ my sinking feeling had been one hundred percent correct and there was a fucking weed floating above my head...and the head of the man next to me. Goddamn Aurors and their ridiculous ideas of practical jokes - like putting their boss and a poor, unsuspecting, completely (mostly) innocent holiday makers like me under the fucking mistletoe. 

"Oooh, boss..."

"Selwyn!"

"You guys know the rules."

"Yeah! Kiss, kiss, kiss..."

The _'kiss, kiss, kiss'_ chants continued, with the Aurors starting to clap and stamp their feet in time with the chanting. It was actually more than a little creepy - and annoying. I was almost ready to pull out my wand, when I felt Graves put his hand on my wand arm.

I looked up to see what in God's name he was up too, only to find him right in front of me, having leant down to give me a quick peck, probably on the cheek or forehead, but since I had turned to see what was happening...his lips pressed gently against mine.

And then...I didn't know what happened.

Somehow, the perfectly innocent peck on the lips changed. I didn't have half a chance to react before Graves pressed his tongue to the seam of my lips and I opened them without even thinking. He tasted of the coffee he'd been drinking and something bitter-sweet, like dark chocolate - a taste that somehow seemed to perfectly fit the warmth of his hand on the back of my neck and the way I could feel his heart pounding against mine where our chests were pressed together.

Then it was over.

Graves pulled away, and I did the same, forcing myself not to blush, or flinch when he rolled his eyes and turned back to the Aurors who were watching us in a mixture of shock and awe to snap that they'd had their after-dinner entertainment. I laughed at the disappointed groans that rang through the room, acting like it was a big joke.

And then, as soon as I could without raising suspicion, I slipped away.


End file.
